The Pidgey's Nest
by TheKawaiifan
Summary: Red was never one for parental permission. So naturally when he leaves Pallet Town without any prior notice, his family isn't too happy about it.
1. Chapter 1

"He whaaaaat!?" I screamed in disbelief.

"He left on a journey. You just missed him" the Professor repeated.

"Th-that little,...Professor, you have to let me go after him!" I begged. There's no way Red could survive on his own! That's just crazy talk!

"I understand your concern, but Red is a big boy now. He can take care of-"

"Don't give me that!" I cut him off. "He. Just. Took. Off. He didn't tell us anything about this! He just took off on his own, unprepared, and Mom is cleaning out all the ice cream right now" I made sure to emphasized the circumstances, just in case I wasn't getting through to him. I mean, Red was always kind of dismissive when it came to parental permission and supervision and all, but this is just nuts!

"This doesn't make sense. Red has had his pokémon license for about a year now. Didn't your mother give her permission?" he asked, flashing some papers. Upon closer inspection, we concluded that Red had forged her signature.

"That's so Red" I sighed in exasperation.

Seeing my point, the Professor sighed. "Alright, but before you go, take this" Oak handed me a pokeball. "There are a lot of wild pokémon that may attack you. You're going to need some protection" he added. Looking at the red and white capsule, I felt both a sense of awe and determination. We briefly had to fill out a few papers, granting me a temporary permit. An assistant also handed me some food for the little guy.

"Thank you sir" I said simply before walking out.

Having properly packed my bags and properly said goodbye to Mom, I took off onto Route 1.

My name is Leaf. I'm from Pallet Town. My brother's name is Red, and we have a mutual frenemy in this guy we call Blue. A little more enemy than friend in my book.

I can't believe the nerve he has. I'd be willing to bet poke that Red is cold and starving right now since he probably didn't prepare properly. Or he's lost. Or maybe he tripped and broke something. Or pecked/shocked/mauled/burned to death by wild pokémon. Maybe even his own. Heck, some pokémon are actually carnivorous. And then there's the poisonous ones. He could get possessed by ghost pokémon. He's vulnerable to any sort of creep that's probably prowling around. I've heard rumors about some criminal activity going on lately. He could lose all his poke in a battle, or die in an explosion. Get struck by lightning. Drown in quicksand. Get hit by a meteor. Spontaneous combustion...

Ok, maybe my paranoia is getting the best of me. But I don't really care. It's kind of dangerous for clumsy ol' Red to handle being on his own. All the more reason why I need to find him asap.

About a half hour had passed. I've encountered some wild pokémon; just as the professor warned. The bulbasaur that Oak gave me has been very helpful. I decided to call him Stitch. He looks like a Stitch. Stitch's main strategy in combat seems to be just randomly ramming into the opponent. Sometimes he seems to growl at them. Whatever the case, it's apparently enough to get us by.

I'm really glad that I made sure to bring a map. I've heard stories of one trainer who was lost 'cause he didn't have one. It took him 10 days to get from Pallet to Viridian. I hope Red remembered to pick up a map. I made a pit stop by the Pokémon Center in Viridian City. While Stitch was resting, I asked around about Red. Apparently he had already been there! But he left as soon as his pokémon were all rested up; something about the Pokémon League.

I sat at the table staring at my map, tapping my foot impatiently as if it would speed up Stitch's recovery. If Red plans on challenging the Elite Four, then he's probably on his way to the nearest gym already. Pewter City is just up north, so he would just have to get through...oh no. "Leaf! Your bulbasaur is all healthy now!"

"Kthnxbai!" I snatched up my pokémon and bolted out the door. There's no way he'd be stupid enough to go through the Viridian Forest at this time, right!? He couldn't have just used his brain and stayed at the Pokemon center!? I mean, they offer free bed and breakfast for trainers!

I rushed over to the forest, blatantly ignoring any trainers who tried to stop me.

Entering the forest, the sky just seemed even darker than before. If you listened close enough, you could hear wild pokémon scurrying around. Trying to shake off any fear, I squeezed Stitch's pokeball and walked forward.

No turning back until I've found Red. Guaranteeing my brother's safety is the only important thing to me right now.

For the record, this forest is very, very easy to get lost in. Like, really easy. I try to stay on the main trail to the best of my ability. The cries of awakening noctowl are just one of the signs of the incoming night. So were the shadowy shapes of metapods and kakunas huddling by the trees. The xylophone-like sounds of kricketot. Sometimes I think I can hear the squeaks of wild pikachu. Dread crawled into my stomach just as darkness seeped into the forest. Sometimes twigs and leaves would brush up against my bare arms and legs. Hearing my own footsteps against the grass, I couldn't be more aware of how vulnerable I felt. Alone. By myself. In the middle of a forest. At night. Where anything could happen.

I'd occasionally find a trainer camping out. Several reported having battled a trainer in a red hat. That's probably my brother they're referring to. I also briefly encountered two trainers in the middle of what is probably the most boring battle I've ever seen. Metapod vs Metapod...good luck with that.

I think it's been a few hours since I arrived in this forest. I've encountered some wild pokémon here and there. Mostly hoothoot. Eventually I figured out that most pokémon will let you run away and skip the battle altogether. How convenient. I can feel the temperature dropping, goosebumps prickling down my bare arms. Just as I contemplated fishing out a sweater from my bag, a flicker of light caught my eye. Pausing to look, I could see a small flame in the near distance. Was it another campfire? No, campfires don't move around like that. Maybe it's a pokémon? I don't think there are many fire types native to this forest. Perhaps it belongs to a trainer. Red did always say that he wanted to choose a charmander as his starter.

Feeling a sense of glee at the possibility, I ran blindly towards the light. It's gotta be Red! It just has too! Rounding a corner, I had my eyes glued to that light. I should be close by now. And then everything was halted. Instead of excitement I felt pain. Lots of it. I,..I think I just slammed into a tree.

With one hand I clutched my throbbing head. With the other I reached out for my fallen hat. Shortly after I felt the familiar fabric, something rested onto my fingers. It was very light, but I could still feel it's hard crustaceous texture. With a squeak I pulled away, feeling some of it's hairs brush up against my skin. It was hard to see it properly in the dark, but a bright green bug pokémon with spikes and jaws had just landed on my hat. Amongst the green, I could see a face. Fear settling into the depths of my stomach, I screamed. The pokémon also let out it's own ear splitting screech, the face turning into a sneer. Terror prickling down my spine, I tried to force my muscles into movement. By the time it shot a poisonous dart at me, I called out to Stitch to help me out.

A battle shortly began. It was difficult to hit this pokémon due to its advantage of night vision, but we still managed. After a few minutes, things began to slow down. Stitch was moving a little sluggishly, as evident by the strings it shot at him. The bug pokémon seemed tired. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, heart hammering in my chest. Before anyone could do anything more, the pokémon seemed to disappear into a red light.

...what?

I could hear footsteps crunching into the grass, closing in on me. Turning around, I nearly gasped at the familiar face.

"Red!"

Illuminated in a soft orange glow was the same ol' face, the same hair, the same stupid hat, yup! It's him. Right beside him was a charmander, it's tail flame providing the light. Swiftly putting my hat back on, I ran over to him.

* * *

 **WHO'S THAT POKÉMON!?**

 **Next time we'll be witnessing some sibling interactions, and learn a bit about Red himself. Until then, I hope you enjoyed my portrayal of Leaf being a helicopter mom disguised as a sister. Writing her as this sarcastic, neurotic little sh*t with good intentions was a lot of fun for me.**

 **And before anyone comments, I know that the pokémon distribution doesn't line up exactly like in Red and Blue and their remakes. This is done on purpose. I'm actually basing the Viridian Forest wildlife off of HeartGold and SoulSilver. I find the diverse selection to be more interesting to write about than just infinite caterpie and weedle.**

 **Anyways, stay tuned for chapter 2**


	2. Chapter 2

You probably thought I hugged him. You thought wrong.

Red whined loudly as I pinched and pulled at his cheek. He'd try to pull away, mumbling what could only be interpreted as, "let me go."

"Not until you repeat after me: 'My name is Red, and I am an idiot'" I demanded.

He pouted, only to whine again as I pulled harder at his face. "My name is Red, and I am an idiot" he mumbled quietly.

"What? What was that?" I teased.

"My name is Red, and I am an idiot" he repeated, a little bit louder.

"I can't hear you~"

"My name is Red, and I am an idiot!" he shouted.

"Yeah you are!" I said satisfied, finally letting him go. My brother groaned very audibly as he rubbed his hurt face.

A walk to a campsite was spent scolding my irresponsible brother. I ranted and nagged at Red, but he didn't seem to be listening. He was more interested in fiddling with some electronic device. Why that little! "Hey! Are you even listening to me!?"

Red flashed over that electronic device, a picture of the pokémon from earlier standing out in the darkness. In the lighting the gadget provided, you could see Red's mocking expression. Reaching for the machine, I studied the pictures and information given. Pictured was a green bug pokémon called "Spinarak." Hold on…

This was same arachnoid creature Blue would sneak a toy version of into my lunch box when we were kids. Sometimes an actual one. This was a pokémon you would occasionally find nesting in your basement. You could go out and find one just outside of town on Route 1. I was attacked by a common pest.

Unamused, I shoved the gizmo back to Red, whom was giggling hysterically. With a damaged pride, I marched away with a huff. Sitting near a campfire, I huddled in my sweater for warmth. While Red dug through his backpack, I glanced around and took in my surroundings. He did not have much set up. Merely a sleeping bag and some firewood that his charmander most likely lit.

Too focused on getting my goosebumps to calm, I failed to notice the cans and bottles. I did notice the bright white light though.

Looking up, I was nearly blinded. I could only shield my eyes and wait for that light to dim down. And dim it did. Cracking my eyes open, I could see an assortment of pokémon digging into the containers. Red must've let them out. Some of these pokémon huddled around dishes full of kibble. Others preferred the mix of nuts and berries. There was also a notable segregation in the works. The bug pokémon kept a distance from the birds. Meanwhile, Charmander was busy digging through its meat flavored kibble and avoiding the water bowls.

Red sat back down, putting a container or two back in his backpack. Just as he started to fish out his own sandwich, there was a growling sound.

Red looked over at me while I gripped my stomach. Raising an eyebrow, he held his sandwich towards me as if to offer his food.

"Pfft!" I crossed my arms and turned away. "Thanks, but no thanks! You probably didn't pack enough for the two of us anyways."

I reached into my own bag, feeling pretty awesome for packing plenty of food. I am so responsible, can you not tell?

A few bites in and I noticed Red staring at me. "What?" I asked, not minding the food in my mouth. He pointed his finger. My eyes followed the imaginary line over to Stitch's pokéball. Oh. Right.

I reached into my bag, pulling out the pokémon food. Stitch was quick to dig in, visibly enjoying the food that was packed for him. I guess after a long day of running around and tackling things, I'd be pretty hungry too. Satisfied to see him taken care of, I returned to my own dinner. For a few moments, Red and I seemed to exist on our own islands with our pokémon, separated by one campfire.

This bothered me.

I know that Red isn't literally drifting away from me. No distance is being physically added between us right now. Funny how it could still feel that way; like these islands were drifting apart. Like they had been split apart by some earthquake before floating aimlessly through the sea. They'd be vulnerable to all sorts of new climate patterns and such. Soon enough these islands would find themselves being drawn on different parts of the map. Would they be joined together ever again? Probably not.

I thought of the idea of goodbye. That thought almost physically hurt me. My chest had tightened, and my stomach seemed to lurch. My body trembled from either the cold, the anxiety, or both. I noticed the contents of my sandwich leaking out. I must've been squeezing it too hard. I choked, not on the food I was eating, but on the unfriendly emotions that crept in. My thoughts wandered to a specific sequence that I strongly disliked. The image of him walking away was an image I did not want to see.

I looked up to see Red playing with the Spinarak from earlier. "You really gave Mom a scare, you know. She's really worried about you" I finally spoke up. His laughter instantly quieted, but he said nothing.

"What made you think you could do this? Traveling the world all by yourself, trying to tame wild creatures that could very easily kill you, not even saying goodbye,…it's madness, Red!" I try to reason. Red only avoided eye contact, frustrating me further. "I know you like pokémon, but you can't just go on a journey! It's not safe! You wouldn't even last a week out there!"

I went on like this for a good while. Shouting and scolding a quiet Red. I repeated my point over and over again in my rant, as if it'll get through to him the next time. Red still refused to acknowledge me, like my words were just tennis balls that bounced off of a wall.

Uuuugggggh! Why does he have to be so childish!? It's not like I'm the bad guy or anything. Maybe if he weren't so impulsive all the time, I wouldn't have to be the responsible one.

"What do you think you're gonna accomplish!? Huh!? You think you gonna shut down a criminal organization and become a champion like some hero!? This isn't a video game, Red!"

"Leaving home to go on some 'grand adventure' is not okay! You think you can do these things, but you just CAN'T, Re-"

"SHUT UP, LEAF!"

Everything was still. All the pokémon, wild and otherwise, stopped what they were doing. If it weren't for the crackling fire, I'd think time had stopped. I had never heard my brother shout like that before. Red himself was pretty surprised too. He was on the edge of his seat, fists clenched tightly together. He heaved heavily, his breath ragged from the frustration. Occasionally, I'd hear the words "shut up" repeat themselves in-between breaths. A quivering lip caused those words to waver a bit. His eyes were burning, like tears threatened to spill out.

"….I-I'm not defenseless. I'm not unprepared" he said hoarsely.

Red showed me his paperwork. He has had his pokémon license for a year now. He's passed every exam, physical and mental. Not only is his possession of pokémon legal, but the region has greenlit his travels. All the legal stuff had been sorted out just fine; forged signatures and all.

"I've been wanting this since forever."

That's right. I remember. Ever since Blue stopped playing with us as kids, Red had practically been anti-social. He was always sneaking out to play with wild pokémon during recess. He was always so good with them. Red seemed to know everything about pokémon, but Blue knew more.

Red wasn't home very much. He always hung out at the Professor's lab; even if it sometimes meant sharing the same air with Blue. I swear, those two can't get along for 5 seconds. I kid you not, they once wrestled over who would have to clean the tauros manure. Spoiler alert: they both got covered in that stuff. The entire town avoided them for like, a week.

When he did come home, he was always quick to shut himself in his room to watch tournaments on tv. Speaking of his room, it was always covered in various posters and pokémon themed stuff. Voltorb alarm clocks, zubat mobiles, snorlax bean bags, he had it all. He always boasted about one day choosing a charmander, to honor the name our father had always called him.

Being a trainer was his dream.

"*sigh*...Red, I get it, but I still can't let you do this. Y-you didn't even say goodbye!" I emphasized.

Red was quiet, looking down and away from me. "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked again. I waited in ever-so thick anticipation as he hesitated to answer.

"…..Even if I did, you wouldn't have let me."

* * *

 **Whew! This took awhile. All that plotting and writing and beta reading and being interrupted by school and editing and being interrupted by school…yeah.**

 **I'd like to give a shout out to my beta readers ( eyesxsewnxopenx is the only one with a tumblr account haha). This was the first piece I've ever had beta read, and you really helped me out. I look forward to working with you again for the next chapter.**

 **Red always came off to me as that guy who likes pokémon more than he likes people. He is a loner and a boy of few words. While this attitude may lead him down a darker path later on (Mt. Silver, anyone?), this story is not about that.**

 **Anyways *is chopping onions*, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll get started on the next one shortly.**

 **Now where should I put these?**


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